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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stand · mate · calf · tear · chair · track · bat · foot

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. track — a song
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bat — the animal
  14. track — a path
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mate — a partner
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mate — a friend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com